Midnight In Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris (PG-13) - Review

"je ne sais quoi"

A scriptwriter trying to break out of the mold with his first novel is held back by his spoiled fiance and her parents on a vacation in Paris, France.  He soon finds literary acceptance (and true love) when he stumbles upon a midnight portal to the past and is soon partying with the likes of Hemingway, Picasso and Gertrude Stein till dawn, much to his in-law's chagrin.

Woody Allen's deepest dive into the antiquarianism that's been sprinkled through all his films, Midnight in Paris is a tall glass of bittersweet nostalgia served in a rose colored goblet.  The streetlights twinkle and the roads are covered in the mists of times gone by.  Owen Wilson (Bottle Rocket) is Woody's stand-in this time and does a more than adequate job making the material his own, blanching and flinching through the Allen-isms.  The amazing cast of characters of bygone France is a delight, and the beautifully tawny glow of streetlamps is magically captured by the lens.  His best since Sweet and Lowdown, Midnight in Paris exists in a universe that once existed, if only in the mind of a master scriptwriter.

8.5 Cole Porter tunes out of 10 (GREAT)